The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-01-08

Wraps thy warm bride, who waits thy waking
Might.
Robert burns Wilson, in Century.
A JUDICIAL MURDER.
How Justice Miscarried in Berlin,
Long Ago.
In the early part Of the eighteenth cent
ury, there lived in the Bruder strasse,
Berlin, merchant Lampert by name,
married to wife somewhat younger than
himself-a handsome woman, fond of dress
and amusement. And by her he had
daughter, whom the vain mother did her
best to spoil. Every year Lampert went
to the Leipsic fair on business, and in the
year 1870 he resolved as usual to attend
the fair. On tho evening before he was
about to start he called his wife into their
common bedchamber and asked hcr to as
sist him in counting his money, which he
kept,in strong iron double-locked Golfer be-
meath his bed. He always carried his keys
about with him, never laying them aside.
His wife at his summons came with can
die into tho room, and he unlocked the
chest in her presence, and brought out his
money to the table, where he. purposed
counting it and taking from it the sum
necessary for his travelling expenses, and
for the purchases he intended making at
the Leipsic fair. The box contained q
large purse of leather, wrapped around
with cord, and sealed with his own sig
net. The coin it contained consisted OF
French pistoles, with the exception Of six
Dutch ducats.
On returning home from the fair, Lam
L. IL. ><xl x,,sN1 - ..v&I
the leather purse as he had left 1t, bound
with the string and the seal unbroken-in
word, all was in the condition in which
no left it, except the contents Of the purse
As he counted tho money in the presence
of his wife, twelve pistoles and ono OF tho
elk ducats were missing. This discovery
filled him and his wife with dismay. They
counted the money again, searched every
corner Of the box, turned the bag inside
out, but could not discover the smallest
trace of the missing coins. Lampert had
written ticket Of the amount when he
inclosed it in the bag, before he sealed it
up. How had the money been abstracted
without breaking the seals and getting the
keys from the merchant The room oc-
cupied by Lampert and his wife was so
situated that no stranger could have en-
tered itunobsorved during the day, and it
was quite certain that no robber had
broken in during the night
When the couple had recovered from
their first astonishment they considered
who could have done the deed, and they
could think of NO one at all likely to be
guilty Of the theft except their house
maid, Marie Keller, young woman Of
twenty three. The merchant at once sum-
moned her to the room and charged her
with having stolen the money. He
confess and make restitution that
he would forgive her, and though he
would dismiss her from his service he
would hush the matter up. The girl trem-
bled and nearly tainted, but protested her
innocence, and so resolutely refused to al
low her guilt that Lampert and his wife
insisted ON examining her bedroom. They
made her lead the way with candle and
stand in the middle of the room while her
master and mistress explored every cor
ner, her boxes, her bed, her drawers-in q
word, every hiding place where she could
have slowed away the missing coins.
The search had lasted some time with
out producing any result, when Frau
Lampert, feeling in the pocket Of an old
ragged dress that lay on the floor drew
forth one Of the Dutch ducats. When this
was discovered Marie Keller burst into
tears, and with vehemence reasserted her
innocence. She fell ON her knees before
her master and mistress, vowed that she
had not taken any coin from their Golfer,
and declared her inability to account for
the ducat having been found in her pocket
IN any other way than by supposing some
malevolent person had put it there to in
culpate her, when she was as guiltless as
newborn child. Her protests were
coldly listened to and disregarded. The
onf hn In in har No ynt oan ,a1
conclusive to Lampert that she, and NO
stranger, had robbed him.
It was remembered that she visited his
bedroom every day, generally, indeed, with
his daughter, to mako the bed, sweep and
clean it. There was absolutely no one else
who entered that room, and when Lam.
pert considered that she daily was present
in the chamber whore the money was, and
put in come ction with that the fact of some
Of the coin being found in her pocket, he
felt it was not possible for him to doubt
her guilt any longer. He locked her into
her attic room, from which escape was
not feasible, and consulted with his wife
below what was to be done.
According to Prussian law ut the time
those guilty of theft were hanged If the
value of the articles stolen amounted tC
five thalers-or fifteen shillings-and the
thief was more than eighteen years old
Lampert seems to have been hard man
He was very angry at the loss Of his mon
ey, and especially incensed at Marie's OBJ
stinacy in denying having taken it, He
told his vito that he would communicate
with the police, have the girl arrested, and
that no would let her suffer the conse
quences. Frau Lampert urged him to be
merciful. Let him pardon this first error
in the poor girls conduct dismiss her
and try to forget his loss. but
Lampert would not be pacified Ther
she urged that the law was cruelty
severe, and that the sum Of money
lost WAS not one so great but that Lampert
would scarcely feel 1t, and that he would
be certain later to regret his harshness in
giving over to death girl who had yielded
to first temptation, and had taken com
paratively insignificant sum OF money.
Lampert was an obstinate man, one oi
those men who, when they have made vi
their minds, take pride in sticking to theil
resolutions, whatever reasons may bt
brought to induce them TO alter. Perhaps